T-34 Battle Analysis

After viewing the German blitzkrieg strategy used in the invasion of Poland, Russia reevaluated its armory in fear of German aggression. Recognizing the German superior tank technology, the Russian authorities commissioned a design for a new tank. Mikhail Koshkin and his team of designers engineered a tank that surpassed expectations (Tucker-Jones). The Soviet engineers designed the T-34 tank to be one of the most versatile tanks of World War II, and its use enabled key victories that enhanced the Soviet Union’s ability to defeat the German aggression.

Koshkin and the designers packed the T-34 with many functional design features that made it a great all-round tank. The T-34-76 standard version’s 45mm thick frontal and 40mm thick side and rear

In the Battle of Moscow, the new KV-1 and T-34 tanks dominated a major tank battle preventing the Germans from capturing the Soviet capital. The T-34 puzzled the Germans as it seemed indestructible from great distances because of its effective armor. The short 75mm and 50mm guns on the Panzers were not capable of destroying the T-34 efficiently. (On the other hand or in contrast), The T-34 out gunned the German Panzer III and IV in this battle, and the German tanks lacked sufficient armor to survive against the T-34’s L-11 and F-34 76.2mm guns. With these guns, the T-34 could destroy a Panzer III and IV from up to 1,100 yards away, whereas the German Panzers had to get within 110 yards to destroy a T-34 (Tucker-Jones). In addition, the attack on Moscow took place during the month of October when ice and snow covered the ground. The T-34’s wide tracks overcame the frigid landscape and pushed the less mobile German advance back, which prevented the capture of Moscow. The Soviet forces counterattacked the Germans resulting in a loss of many thousands of German infantry, 800 German tanks, and 300 German guns. Regarding the T-34 tanks, the Panzer Commander F.W. von Mellenthin stated “‘These tanks were not thrown into battle in large numbers until our spearheads were approaching Moscow; they then played a great part in saving the Russian capital (Tucker-Jones).’” Consequently, Hitler called off the attack on Moscow on December 5, 1941. The Russians lost many tanks in the process of defending Moscow, but the faster production rate of the T-34 made up for those losses quickly (Tucker-Jones). Another battle where the T-34 greatly influenced the war’s outcome was the Battle of Kursk in 1943. In Kursk, the Germans attempted to surround the Russians in one of the largest tank engagements of World War II. The German forces consisted of more than 2,000 tanks and 1,000 assault guns